January 31: Mets notes

Lefthander Dave Williams, one of the candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation, underwent surgery today to repair a herniated disc in his neck after complaining of pain after starting his throwing program. The Mets should know sometime next week when heÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll resume baseball activities. Williams was 3-1 with a 5.59 ERA in six games, including five starts, for the Mets last season, after coming over from Cincinnati in late May.

The Mets announced they signed veteran outfielder Ruben Sierra to a minor league contract. Sierra, 41, is a .268 lifetime hitter with 306 homers and 1,322 RBI. HeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s played with Texas, Oakland, the Yankees, Toronto, Cincinnati, Chicago White Sox, Detroit, Seattle and Minnesota.

Also, 28-year-old pitcher Jason Standridge elected to be a free agent. He was designated for assignment, Jan. 26.

John Delcos enters his third season covering the Mets for The Journal News after eight seasons on the Yankees beat. Prior to coming to New York, John covered the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians.